What Extras Can Your HR Provide for Blue Collar Workers?

As technology advances and our world turns more and more to automation it seems many blue-collar jobs are dwindling. But blue-collar workers still do the brunt of some of the world’s most important work. From oil extraction to welding parts, these jobs are important to our resources and economy. For your workers, making their job easier is something you strive for. But it can be difficult. As a manager, you might consider the following extras your HR can provide your blue collar workers.

Job Training

To keep manual laborers in your business as productive as possible, provide them with different types of job training opportunities. You might wish pay their tuition costs for continuing education classes. Hosting in-house seminars is also a great idea. Give them reasons and opportunities to better their own job knowledge and training.

Performance Rewards

If making blue collar workers feel valued is your priority, consider presenting them with performance rewards at the end of each quarter or year. For instance, you might wish to give the higher performing employees at your business a monetary award. If you’re crunched for cash, plaques are another alternative. Simply recognizing high achieving workers in front of their peers can be a wonderful motivator.

Flexible Scheduling

Nowadays, flexible scheduling options are a way to lure desirable white-collar workers to accept job offers. Why not make this perk available to blue collar employees as well? Because blue collar employees often work with dangerous machinery, they always need to be well rested and focused. According to injury attorneys, most work accidents happen because of a lack of rest. Allowing them to work at times of the day or night when they feel their best is vital to their safety and your company’s productivity.

Access to a Fitness Facility

Regular exercise can benefit both your physical and mental health. Healthy employees use less sick days. To improve the health of your blue-collar workforce, provide them with access to a fitness facility. You can either build a gym at your company’s physical location or provide workers with gym memberships.

Opportunities to Interact with More of the Company

If your company employs both white and blue-collar workers, create opportunities for them to interact with each other. Consider building teams with a mix of employees. You might be surprised at how much a welder can learn from a paper-pusher. When white collar and blue collar employees are paired together at a company, innovation often skyrockets.

If you employ blue collar workers, you likely understand how important they are to the sustainability of your business. To help you hire and retain the most skilled workers available, consider allowing HR to provide these individuals with the aforementioned extras.